


Team Jackson: Certified Relationship Experts

by BardicBeatdown



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games), the last of us part 2
Genre: Ellie has NO game, F/F, F/M, Neither does Jesse but he thinks he does, Pals helping pals hit on their crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicBeatdown/pseuds/BardicBeatdown
Summary: Dina and Jesse try to help Ellie with her flirting skills. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to write Dina and Ellie flirting with each other?? Sue me.
Relationships: Cat/Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Jesse (The Last of Us)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	Team Jackson: Certified Relationship Experts

**Author's Note:**

> Okay we lost the plot a little but its fine. Listen some people write fics of their favorite post apocalyptic friend group goofing off to cope

“Try again and this time don’t make that face”

“Jesse, what face?”

“That one”

“This is just my face!”

“Look, we all wish for death sometimes but it doesn’t mean we have to outwardly show it. Try again.”

Ellie huffs, “This is stupid” she mutters before speaking up, “Hey, Cat. I was wondering if you’d like to hangout sometime. Alone. Well we hang out alone a ton, I just mean together.” Fuck, this was going about as well as the other practice attempts. “Of course, we’ll be together, it’s a hangout, I mean…fuck! This _blows_ dude, can we stop now?”

Dina approaches the two of them as Jesse denies the request. “What are you two losers doing?”  
She gives Jesse a peck on the lips and settles in on the ground next to him. 

“I don’t get one of those?” Ellie asks. 

She means it as a joke but when Dina gives an easy laugh and responds with “Catch me on a good day and we’ll talk.” Ellie feels the heat of a blush creep up her neck despite the fall chill in the air.

Jesse slings an arm around Dina, “Hey, save that smooth talk for Cat, Casanova.”

Dina’s eyes had found Jesse as he spoke and now, they darted to Ellie “Cat?”

Her gaze seems to contribute more to Ellie’s current sweating than the midday sun. Ellie rubs her hands together, why did this feel like a dirty secret? 

“Yeah, uh. I’m gonna go for it. I think I like her back.”

Dina rasies an eyebrow “You _think_ you like her back?”

“I do! I just--I don’t want to fuck up the approach.”

“I’m coaching Ellie on her pick up technique” Jesse reports proudly.

Dina is far from impressed. “Babe, no offense but this is not your wheelhouse. If there were a clicker for every time my blatant flirting went over your head, humanity would be extinct.” 

Ellie pretends to wipe her mouth to cover her smile as Jesse huffs indignantly “Okay, maybe I’ve dabbled in being a dumbass, but I’ve grown. I pulled you, didn’t I?” He flashes a winning smile. Dina scoffs.

“I pulled you” she says poking him in the chest. “Let’s not get it twisted.” 

“Sure, sure” He says sarcastically. He looks back up at Ellie, making a wall around one side of his mouth as if to keep Dina from hearing before saying in an exaggerated whisper, “Women, amirite?”

“Jesse” Ellie and Dina both say in unison, a tinge of exhaustion in their voices, even as Jesse’s goofy “I told a shitty joke” smile makes them both crack a small one in return.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of this because Dina’s here. Once more, with feeling!”

Ellie takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. It was hard enough with just Jesse watching but with Dina here as well it was even more nerve-wracking. “Cat, hey. I was-well, I was wondering if you…Listen I know you like me so-wait is that too forward? Hold on, redo. Cat! You and Me. Date?” 

Dina stands up “Okay you gotta stop, Ellie. This is painful. Time for some help from a real expert.” She stands, cracking her knuckles and taking an exaggerated deep breath in and then out “Watch closely”

Was she thrilled about giving flirting advice for Ellie to use on Cat? No, not at all. Was she going to use this as an opportunity to see her favorite version of Ellie Williams? Absolutely.  
Embarrassed Ellie was quite possibly the cutest thing Dina had ever seen in her entire life. Not to be dramatic or anything and of course in a totally platonic way. Just gals being pals. Just a gal that enjoyed pushing the conversational buttons that resulted in a flustered and stuttering pal. Common friend shit. 

Dina doesn’t have a solid plan as she crosses the grass to Ellie but she knows what she’s looking to get out of it. 

She makes her way over to lean against the fence Ellie's sitting, pretending to start in surprise after a moment. “Oh, hey Ellie. I was just thinking about you”

Ellie rolls her eyes, but plays along “Oh, yeah? Good thoughts, I hope.” 

“Only the best. Well, most of them anyway” Dina winks, Ellie swipes her hand over her mouth, nervous tick. Strike one. “Any big plans for tonight?” Dina inquires

“My two asshole best friends are going to give me dating advice but other than that I’m free.”

Dina cracks a smile but maintains composure even as Jesse raises his middle finger from his spot on the ground. “I’m actually pretty stoked to hear that. You know, I was thinking-”

“Doing a lot of that lately are we?”

“It’s a favorite pastime of mine. My second favorite pastime is finishing sentences, I wish I could do it more often.”

“Sorry, please, what were you thinking?”

“Well, I know that you have a PlayStation…” Ellie’s fingers begin tapping an erratic rhythm against her jean clad legs as Dina hops up onto the fence to sit next to her. Strike two. 

“Uh-huh.”

“and I also happen to know that the only thing you love more than your PlayStation is spending time with me-”

“Debatable.”

“Sure, it is.” Dina agrees sarcasticlly, "Anyway, I bummed a copy of this old co-op game off of Jesse and thought maybe we could play sometime? I could come over; we could waste a few hours staring at a screen and then…who knows?” She says the last part suggestively, overexaggerates a little on purpose, trying to go 3 for 3 on the Ellie embarrassment scale. 

Ellie doesn’t back down, matching Dina’s gaze with her own and quirking an eyebrow casually “I’ll try to keep my eyes on the screen the whole time but you can’t expect me to make any promises.”

“If we lose because you can’t keep your eyes to yourself, you’ll regret it, Williams.”

“Oh, will I now?” Ellie gives a sigh of defeat “In that case, I guess I can ‘keep my eyes to myself’. Her voice drops low in her throat. “No telling what my hands might do though”

Dina looks incredulous, caught off guard by Ellies sudden confidence. “Are you sure you need help?” She asks at the same time Jesse says “Hey, where was that a second ago?” 

Ellie breaks character almost immediately, putting her hands up “Okay, chill. It wasn’t even that good.”

Jesse scoffs “El, if I was any less confident in my manhood, I’d feel like I’d have to fight you for Dina’s honor or something. Either that or drop my panties, I’m still deciding.”

“Lose-Lose, situation” Dina says, grimly 

“It’d have to end in my death either way” Ellie agrees

“Please, this is quality material” He gestures generally to his entire body, “The ladies love this!”

Ellie turns to Dina, “Are you ‘the ladies’?”

“Unfortunately.” 

Jessie points an accusatory finger at Ellie, “Hold on, you wasted the last 45 minutes floundering when you could turn the charm on just like that?” 

Ellie shrugs, absently rubbing a button on the flannel she was wearing over her shirt. “Guess I just needed someone to bounce shit off of?”

“I’ll bounce something off you, you motherfucker. Come here!” Jessie says, closing the distance between them with frightening speed in order to deliver a Noogie that Ellie can’t seem to squirm her way out of. “This is for wasting my time” he laughs. She tumbles forward off of her seated position on the fence and into his headlock, protesting loudly through fits of laughter until Dina manages to pry them apart.

“Lay off, lay off” she says, wrenching his arm off of their friend. “…It’s my turn” she finishes deviously, putting Ellie into her second headlock of the day. “My time is worth twice as much, I earned this.”

“You Fuckers!” comes Ellies muffled voice

When Dina finally lets up Ellie gives them both a playful shove. “I hate you both” She says, pulling her flannel back up over her shoulders from where it had slipped down in the struggle

"Careful or you'll get another for lying." Jessie claps a hand on her shoulder “You’re gonna be fine. Now let’s go get your girl.”


End file.
